Seretse and Ruth in Serowe
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Perhaps this decision is a challenge of sorts to see if the Mmegi staff member who changed my Seretse and Ruth headline to Sir Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams is still in business and still insistent that eighteen years after they were married, Sir Seretse was still being accompanied by a mere companion. I had asked that Mmegi apologise for this offensive and obviously ridiculous statement - for statement it was - and had asked it to clarify that I had not been responsible for it.
At the time of writing, however, I have had no assurance from Mmegi that it intends to make such an apology and as a result, am obliged to express my own regrets on its behalf, and on my own, for a blunder - it cannot possibly be called a mistake - of such breath taking stupidity. Why anyone would decide that my submitted headline, ‘Seretse and Ruth’ had to be so corrected is baffling. Perhaps it was felt to be over familiar. But newspaper columns are personal contributions - so I have always felt free to refer to Seretse and Ruth, as they then were to many people in the years before his death in 1980.
While his leadership has brought about significant progress and development, it is imperative that he exercises greater caution in his choice of words, particularly when addressing sensitive matters.One of the primary concerns is the potential impact of his remarks on Botswana’s relationship with De Beers, the diamond mining giant that plays a crucial role in the nation’s economy.The partnership between Botswana and De Beers has been mutually...